Jacques Dumesnil

Jacques Dumesnil born Marie Émile Eugène André Joly 9 November 1903 8 May 1998 was a French film and television actor Jacques Dumesnil was born as Marie Émile Eugène André Joly on November 9 1903 in Paris France Before becoming an actor he received training as a mechanical engineer After starting as a secretary at the aviation school he became an industrial designer a profession he left to devote himself to the theater He adopted the pseudonym Dumesnil because of the admiration he had to French actor Camille Dumény He started out as a fanciful singer in a café located in Paris Place de lHôtel de Ville he was paid in sandwiches and glasses of beer Dumesnil started on stage in 1927 and divided his career between theater and cinema Having spent two years at the ComédieFrançaise he played among other things in Les Tontons flingueurs and provided the French voice of Charlie Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux 1947 and A King in New York 1957 His role as Duke of PlessisVaudreuil in the television series Au Plaisir de Dieu earned him a resurgence of popularity and the 7 dOr for best actor Jacques Dumesnil had a son Pierre Joly dit Dumesnil who was a French swimming champion and participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki Finland